Leaked Text: Is EU Tempted By Too Many Safeguards Limiting The Scope Of Blind Treaty? 21/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As the ratification by the European Union of an international treaty creating an exception to copyright for visually impaired people nears, a leaked text shows that the directive implementing the treaty in the EU might come with safeguards limiting the scope of the treaty, allegedly pushed by the publishing industry.
UN Development Programme Calls For Reform Of IP And Investor Protection Regimes 21/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A United Nations Development Programme report released today places importance on transforming global institutions, and establishing fair trade and investment rules. The report calls for global reform of the intellectual property rights regime and investor protection regime. In addition, the report ranks countries on their human development level, putting Norway first followed by Australia and Switzerland.
Marrakesh Treaty For Blind Readers Jeopardised By EU Publishing Industry Lobbying, Group Says 21/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The treaty adopted almost four years ago in Marrakesh allowing for exceptions to copyright for the benefit of visually impaired people was hailed as a victory for human rights over private rights. However, as the European Union is preparing to ratify the treaty, according to a civil society group report, intense lobbying by the publishing industry is influencing the debate and might diminish the hard-gained ground in the treaty on copyright exceptions. The World Blind Union, meanwhile, said it finds the report “revealing and shocking”.
A Look At Optimal Patent Regimes For Canada 21/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A new policy brief from the Centre for International Governance Innovation, in Waterloo, Canada argues that Canada should pursue a weaker national patent regime. Acknowledging that Canada already has agreed to certain levels of protection through international treaties and trade agreements, Blit warns that future agreements that strengthen intellectual property protections would not benefit Canada.
Chile: Civil Society, Members Of Congress Urge Issuance Of Compulsory Licences 21/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Representatives of Chilean civil society and Congress this week presented the Chilean health minister with a proposal urging the government to take advantage of international trade law and a newly passed congressional resolution to issue compulsory licences on high-priced drugs for hepatitis C and prostate cancer.
World Bank Now Relying On Capital Markets, Focuses On Fragile Countries 20/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment After the announcement in December of a record US$75 billion commitment to its International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank Group said today that this commitment was both historic in terms of value, and also a sign of a paradigm change, including the raising of funds from capital markets.
EU High Court Ruling’s Implications For Content Streaming In Europe And Worldwide 20/03/2017 by Bruce Gain for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A recent Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling relating to TV internet broadcasts from the UK underscores tight restrictions in place for content streaming in the European Union (EU), legal scholars say.
Intellectual Property: A Very Short Introduction, New From Oxford University Press 20/03/2017 by Kim Treanor for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In Intellectual Property: A Very Short Introduction, by Siva Vaidhyanathan, readers are introduced to the basics of intellectual property, framed in a way that illustrates how intellectual property both shapes and is shaped by larger economic, political and social contexts.
Brazilian Legend Celso Amorim Recounts Negotiation For TRIPS Flexibilities 16/03/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Minister Celso Amorim of Brazil has had a significant impact on the state of global negotiations in his professional lifetime, including on global intellectual property rights.
Do US Patent Incentives Need To Change To Get The ‘Cancer Moonshot’ Off The Ground? 16/03/2017 by Kim Treanor for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In December, the United States Congress passed a bill with a monumental goal: engaging the private sector to work with each other, and with the government, to develop new treatments for cancer. The mechanics of cancer research, however, may require fundamental changes to our patent system if the initiative is to be successful. Intellectual Property Watch recently sat down with Jacob Sherkow, associate professor of law and affiliated faculty at the Innovation Center for Law and Technology at New York University Law School, to discuss challenges to overcome to get the Moonshot off the ground.